Naval ship rating system
The naval ship rating system was a classification system used by the Star Fleet of the United Federation of Planets to categorise the relative capabilities of ship types with differing internal equipment and systems. It was introduced in 2273 and used extensively during the 2270s and 2280s but had been phased out of use by the start of the 24th Century. Genesis With the "New Technology" revolution of the late 2260s creating a quantum jump in starship capabilities across almost all aspects of engineering, tactical, scientific, and crew support systems, a full uprating program for as many Class One starship types as possible was designed and implemented. Such was the level of reconstruction involved, however, that the refit program was projected to take up at least a third of the total nominal new build time for a particular ship type. As a result of this some other, lesser uprating options were considered at different points in time which involved shorter time frames for completion and re-entry into service, balanced against the level of capabilities being installed into these ships. Further Development Subsequent to the introduction of their different level of capabilities, Starfleet for a short time designed and built Class One starships to these differing levels of specification and specialisation in an attempt to increase shipyard efficiency and delivery times on new construction and other extensive refitting projects. The Flaws Revealed However, the Taal Tan Offensive of 2283 and subsequent increasing belligerence through the 2280s from the Klingons caused the entire rating concept to fall out of favour. As losses on the Klingon border mounted and the flaws in building less than First Rate ships all the time became apparent, more and more Second and Third Rate ships were pulled from their duties to be refitted to First Rate vessels and redeployed against the Klingons. Consequences While this was the basis for the whole plan to begin with, where less capable ships would retreat to cover the duties of more capable ships as they rushed to the danger zones, the administrative reshuffling and time lost to redeployment transit adversely affected the Fleet's abilities to meet its commitments. While a good idea on paper, it was once again a bean-counter's approach to the real world. As long as nothing went wrong the ships could continue to serve as and where they were, and individual ships redeployed to cover minor hot spots. However, with a full-scale war in progress, Starfleet was hurt badly by the lack of First Rate ships available for duty in the Theatre of War caused by "comfortable" minimum initial deployment levels and losses sustained during the conflict. Cancellation As a direct result of this no new Second Rate construction was authorised after Taal Tan, any pending construction was cancelled, but all ongoing construction and uprating to the Second or Third Rate at an advanced state of completion was allowed to finish. Other vessels in a lesser state of reconstruction had their refit programs hurriedly revised. Rather than immediately re-uprate these existing Second and Third Rate ships, they were posted to quiet sectors to replace First Rate ships now needed on the Klingon border. As the ships aged performing their duties they would be brought in for uprating to First Rate specifications as shipyard schedules allowed Legacy While still being capable ships in their own right, and obviously moreso than their "Classic Era" forebearers, due to their performance in a theatre they had no business being in and their subsequent redeployment away from it, these ships unfortunately regained the stigma of the derogatory definitions of Second and Third Rate from their classic Terran Age of Sail origins. The entire concept was quietly done away with, and the Ratings themselves fell into disuse and again passed into history before the turn of the 24th century. First Rate Ship types of the First Rate were fully equipped with a full range of the latest advancements across the spectrum of ship operations, as befitted their Type. These were the cutting-edge ships of the Starfleet, fully up to whatever task could be assigned to them, with the best systems and technology the Federation could install on them. Prior to the New Technology revolution, this was the standard to which all Federation Class One starships were built. The primary (and first) example of this rating was the Enterprise sub-class heavy cruisers of the Constitution-class lineage. Having been uprated from previous existing ships, their refitting time to Heavy Cruisers of the First Rate was eighteen months. New construction to these specifications would take four years. Ship Classes of the First Rate * Enterprise sub-class heavy cruisers * Levant/Enterprise-II/Constitution-III sub-class heavy cruisers * Youngblood-class carrier vessels * Miranda-class light cruisers Second Rate Ship types of the Second Rate were vessels which had a lot going for them, with either moderately less capable equipment and systems across the board and less experienced personnel to operate it, or First Rate equipment in most areas but distinctly lacking it in one or a few specific disciplines, with a related reduction in crew for these atrophied abilities. The primary (and first) example of this rating was the Constitution-II sub-class heavy cruisers of the Constitution-class lineage. Having been uprated from previous existing ships, their refitting time to Heavy Cruisers of the Second Rate was twelve months. New construction to these specifications would take three-and-a-half years. An example of new construction to this rating was the Tikopai sub-class heavy cruisers of the Constitution-class lineage. In order to field more new-build heavy cruisers more quickly, the complexity of the ship was reduced by installing a far less capable tactical suite and smaller staff. Despite being fully comparable in most other aspects to the First Rate Enterprise sub-class, their designed inability to perform front-line deterrence patrols against peer-level belligerents and other complex tactical operations excluded them from the First Rate. Ship Classes of the Second Rate * Constitution-II sub-class heavy cruisers * Tikopai sub-class heavy cruisers * Jenshahn-class carrier vessels * Ishtasse-class cruisers * Ragnok-class transport/tugs Third Rate Ship types of the Third Rate were exclusively refitted from nearly-new "Classic era" classes as a way of giving them some benefits of the New Technology revolution. Among these benefits were increased shielding, greater structural integrity, moderate systems performance improvements and equipment upgrades, and primarily, hybrid circumferential/linear warp nacelles that did not require linear intermix shafts and thus a full rebuild. The primary example of this rating was the Endeavour sub-class heavy cruisers of the Constitution-class lineage. Having been uprated from previous existing ships, their refitting time to Heavy Cruisers of the Third Rate was four-to-six months. There was no new construction to these specifications. Several ships from all types "passed through" this rating over their life-span. Since it was a moderate refit many of the Class One starships built during the 2260s received it in the late 2270s and early 2280s. After the Taal Tan Offensive of 2283 revealed the flaws in such a minor uprating for such valuable and necessary units, from 2286 onwards all these Third Rate units were scheduled to be fully uprated to First Rate. Ship Classes of the Third Rate * Endeavour sub-class heavy cruisers * Jenghiz sub-class destroyers * Ptolemy-II sub-class transport/tugs Category:Ship Classifications